Horn of Africa: The Monthly Review, 01/00

HORN OF AFRICA

The Monthly Review

This edition covers the period December 1999 to January 2000

REGIONAL ISSUES

European Union names envoy to help end Ethiopia-Eritrea war: The
European Union has named Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Rino Serri as
its envoy to help end the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The
special representative is mandated to provide full support for the effort
of the OAU in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict. (Press Digest,
December 30; The Reporter, January 5)

President Beshir pays surprise visit to Asmara: In a joint
communiqué issued in Asmara on January 3, Sudan and Eritrea announced
the conclusion of a peace agreement between the two countries. Marking
the resumption of diplomatic ties the two countries reopened their embassies
as of January 12, 2000, paving the way for opening their borders and a
resumption of flights to Asmara and Khartoum by their respective airlines.
The two countries also agreed to hold a joint ministerial meeting in Asmara
from February 3-5, 2000. Major General Bakry Hassan Salah, Sudan's Minister
for Presidential Affairs and Eritrea's Foreign Minister, Haile Wolde Tensae,
signed the agreement. In line with the agreement the Eritrean delegation
handed back the key to the Embassy of Sudan in Asmara. (Seven Days Update,
January 10)

Ethiopia and Sudan hold talks on transport and communications
sector:
Ethiopian and Sudanese transport officials recently held
talks in the Ethiopia border town of Metema on ways of consolidating bilateral
relations of co-operation in the transport and communications sector. At
the two-day meeting held in the Ethiopian border town of Metema the two
parties agreed to open to traffic the road that links Metema and the Sudanese
town of Gedaref. Work on the construction of the road had been launched
five years ago and the delegations said the project was gaining momentum
with 118 kms of the 175 kms road now completed with the remaining works
expected to be completed within six months. The Sudanese delegation was
headed by the Road and Communications Minister, Major General Alhaji Bushera,
and the Ethiopia delegation was headed by the Vice Minister for Transport
and Communications, Ayenew Bitewilign. The two sides also agreed to facilitate
conditions for the construction of the Humera-Shewak and Assosa-Damazin
roads and design joint projects that would enable the two countries to
standardise telephone links. (Seven Days Update, January 3; Radio Ethiopia,
December 27; AFP, January 17; Addis Zemen, December 28; Press Digest, December
30)

Presidents of Yemen, Sudan, Djibouti hold summit in San'a:
President
Ali Abdullah Salih, along with visiting President of Sudan General Umar
Hassan al-Beshir and Djibouti President Ismael Omar Gelleh convened a summit
meeting in San'a. The three leaders discussed security matters and the
co-ordination of efforts to bring about peace, security and stability in
the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region. The Somali crisis featured high
in their discussions and both President Salih and Beshir expressed their
backing for Djibouti's efforts to realize Somali reconciliation and security.
Speaking to reporters following the meeting, the leaders expressed their
confidence in maintaining co-ordination as far as Arab issues are concerned.
The Djibouti and Sudanese presidents also voiced support for President
Ali Abdullah Salih's repeated calls for convening an Arab summit that would
bring about closer Arab co-ordination and realize Arab solidarity.
(Republic
of Yemen Radio - BBC Monitoring Service, January 15; AFP, January 18 )

OAU objects to trade deal that ignores Africa's concerns:
The Organisation of African Unity reiterated that its member states would
not sign any World Trade Organisation deal unless African concerns are
given due attention. At the WTO conference, which was held in Seattle,
USA from November 30 to December 3 and ended without any agreements, African
ministers took the same position. During the conference the group of African
members of WTO chaired by Kenya developed a declaration demanding fair
negotiations. OAU spokesman Ibrahim Dagash told a press conference in Addis
Ababa, "We hope the concern of African countries will be givern due attention
when the WTO next meets to follow up on what has been discussed in Seattle.
Otherwise, the OAU and its member countries will not be a party to any
agreement that protects the interests of the industrialised countries at
the expense of developing countries". He referred to press reports from
Seattle that there had been "exclusive" accords and behind the scene meetings
on the sidelines of the conference to work out "some kind of projectionist
deal" in the interest of the industrialised countries. Dagash warned, "such
attempts would be inimical to the interests of developing countries, particularly
those in Africa." (PANA, December 6; Press Digest, December 9; The Reporter,
December 29 & January 5 )

ETHIOPIA

Government introduces new surtax and increases fuel prices:The
Government of Ethiopia on December 14 introduced a 10% increase in surtax
on imported goods. The announcement came only 17 days after an 18% price
increase announced on petroleum and petroleum products. The prices of gasoline,
kerosene and diesel per litre were increased by Birr 0.44, 0.22 and 0.15
respectively. The price increases were necessitated by the rising fuel
prices on the world market and a slight weakening of the Birr against the
US dollar according to the announcement by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
The new fuel tariff will remain in effect for the next three months. According
to Minister of Finance, Sufian Ahmed, the increase in surtax was only a
short-term measure designed to finance a budget deficit estimated at around
800 million Birr. The Council of Ministers had earlier disclosed that the
continuing surge in the price of oil on the international market had forced
the government to "adjust" local prices. Refering to the import surtax,
Radio Ethiopia has clarified that according to Finance Minister Sufian
Ahmed, the increase does not apply to goods brought to the country for
investment purposes or to fertiliser, aeroplanes, public and freight transport
vehicles, or special purpose vehicles.
(Africa News Online, December
20; Press Digest, December 23; Seven Days Update, January 10 & 17)

Saudi-German group to build hospital specialising in orthopaedics: A
Saudi-German group which operates several hospitals in Saudi Arabia and
Yemen is to build a hospital in Addis Ababa with state-of the-art equipment
specialising in orthopaedics for US $75 million, a local Amharic language
weekly has reported. The report quoted Dr. Khalid. A. Batergi, vice-president
of the Saudi-German medical group as saying that the company has finalised
arrangements for the construction of the hospital. "Our hospital will closely
co-operate with the Ethiopian Sports Commission and military hospitals
in the country in the treatment of orthopaedics patients" he said. Although
the weekly did not specify it in its report, sources said the Saudi-German
group had purchased the armed forces hospital located at Addis Ababa's
old airport as the future site where the new hospital will be built. (Dpa,
January 17)

Ethiopia's use of Berbera Port increasing: According to local
media reports, in the past year Ethiopia has transported some 46,000 tons
of food aid through the northern Somali port of Berbera. In the first round
30,000 tons were imported via Berbera while in the second, 16,000 tons
of grain was expected to be imported via Berbera. Efoita newspaper
quoted the Vice Minister of Transport and Communications, Ayenew Bitewilign
as saying that preparations are underway to take advantage of the port
and that the road from Berbera to Ethiopia was being repaired by both countries
with assistance from the European Union. The vice-minister added that Ethiopia
is also interested in using Moqdishu port when situations improve. Preparations
are also being made to use Kenya's Mombassa port as soon as the Kenyan
authorities improve the road leading to the Ethiopia border town of Moyale.
(Efoita
Newspaper, December 20, Radio Ethiopia, January 5)

Congressman's article provokes outrage: US Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman,
Republican representative from New York and chairman of the House International
Relations Committee published an article which appeared in the Op-ed page
of the Washington Post on January 3 under the headline "Ethiopia Needs
a Push Toward Peace". The article coincides with the United States becoming
the chairman of the UN Security Council and January 2000 being declared
the "Month of Africa" and says Ethiopia is rigidly resisting the OAU peace
plan. The editorial calls for the US and international community "to condemn
Ethiopia's intransigence and urge them not to launch an attack." In response
the Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin sent an article to the Washington
Post on January 5 which denies the Congressman's claims. In addition the
Ethiopian House of Peoples' Representatives Standing Committee for Foreign
Affairs sent a letter to the Congressman entitled "Ethiopia never surrenders
to any external pressures". Outrage and dismay to the Congressman's article
have been expressed by various writers in letters to the Congressman, including
Horn of Africa specialist Paul Henze and Professor Andreas Eshete, UNESCO
Chair for Human Rights and Democracy, the private press and Radio Ethiopia.
(Washington
Post, January 3; Voice of America, January 4; Ethiopian Herald, January
6, 9 & 12)

ERITREA

Eritrean opposition leader denied entry into Egypt: Egypt
has deniedthe leader of the Eritrean Opposition Forces Alliance,
Abdalla Idrisentry into Egypt despite bearing an entry visa.
Earlier the Eritrean government had requested four Arab countries, including
Egypt, that Eritrean opposition figures are denied entry into their territory
and also that opposition figures in these countries be turned over. All
four countries turned down the request. The Egyptian government had assured
the Eritrean government that it would not allow opposition groups to operate
in its territory, but that it could not prohibit entry into Egypt since
many of them were in possession of valid non-Eritrean passports. The decision
by Egypt to refuse Abdalla entry into its territory indicates a change
of stance. The opposition alliance leader was held up at Cairo International
Airport for nine hours before leaving for an unnamed Arab country. It was
reported that Abdalla has a family that has been residing in Egypt for
20 years.

International Court of Justice gives final verdict on Hanish dispute:
The
Arbitration Tribunal of the International Court of Justice formed to adjudicate
the territorial sovereignty of the Hanish Islands in the Red sea and to
delimit the international maritime boundary between the two countries announced
its second and final award on December 17, 1999 in London. The basis for
the verdict took into account the fact that both countries had been using
the Jebel Atahir, Zuber, Hanish and Zihur islands until the 1990's. While
the courts first Award on Sovereignty for the islands was attributed to
Yemen its final decision upholds Eritrea's right to use the islands for
fishing and transport purposes. "It entitles both Eritrean and Yemeni fishermen
to engage in artisinal fishing around the islands which, in its first Award
on Sovereignty, the Tribunal attributed to Yemen. This is to be understood
as including diving carried out by artisinal means for shells and pearls.
Equally these fishermen remain entitled freely to use these islands for
those purposes traditionally associated with artisinal fishing--the use
of islands for drying fish, for way stations, for the provision of temporary
shelter and for the effecting of repairs". In addition, according to the
verdict, new laws promulgated by the Yemeni government regarding the territory
have to be ratified by the Eritrean government. The Tribunal explicitly
noted that "any administrative measures impacting upon these traditional
rights shall be taken by Yemen with the agreement of Eritrea". (Africa
News Online, December 20; PanAfrican News Agency, December 22; Press Digest,
December 30)UNHCR to resume operations:The Eritrean government and
UNHCR have reached agreement to allow the refugee agency resume operations
in the country, from which it was expelled in May 1997 for what Eritrea
considered "undue pressure" to revive the stalled repatriation from Sudan
of Eritrean refugees who fled their home country during the war of independence
with Ethiopia. The agreement, under which the refugee agency will focus
on the voluntary repatriation of 147,000 Eritreans registered in refugee
camps in Gedaref and El Showak in eastern Sudan, followed a visit to Asmara
by UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner Soren Jessen-Petersen. Acknowledging
that "the new political atmosphere which has been developing between Eritrea
and Sudan" had helped matters, and that Khartoum was keen to have the situation
resolved, UNHCR spokesman Jacques Franquin told IRIN that "it's time to
proceed with the repatriation of these people, who are a bit forgotten."
Two UNHCR staff aree scheduled to travel to Eritrea in February to begin
working with the government on a repatriation plan. (IRIN News Briefs,
January 26)

DJIBOUTI

Djibouti President discusses Peace Proposal for Somalia:
Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh, who is the current chairman of
the Inter-Governmental Authority of Development, is proposing the establishment
of a transitional government and legislative council for neighbouring Somalia.
President Guelleh first introduced his peace proposal in September 1999
during his address to the UN General Assembly. Guelleh's proposal envisages
transitional arrangements in which the entire Somali society will be represented
through various groups, including civil society. President Guelleh briefed
President Daniel arap Moi and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on his proposal
during a visit to Nairobi and stopover in Addis Ababa's Bole International
airport on January 14. The Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin told
reporters that according to Guelleh's briefing to Meles, a cross-section
of the Somali society is presently discussing the proposal for establishing
a transitional government and legislative council in their country. Seyoum
added that Ethiopia and Kenya fully support the Djibouti Guelleh's latest
peace proposals for Somalia. Later in January President Guelleh flew to
Cairo where he met with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. In a joint statement,
Egypt indicated its support for the Djibouti peace plan on Somalia which
it viewed as a bid to preserve the territorial integrity and security of
Somalia. The two countries said they will cooperate and coordinate their
efforts to restore peace and stability in Somalia. (Panafrican News
Agency, January 15; MENA, quoted by BBC Monitoring Service, January 26)

Djiboutian journalist detained for seven months: Reporters
Sans Frontieres has protested the alleged detention in Harar, eastern Ethiopia,
of Amir Adaweh, editor in chief of "La Republique'" the newspaper of the
Djibouti opposition Partie Nationale Democratique (PND). In a letter to
Djibouti's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Abdi Farah and Ethiopian Minister
for Justice Wolde Woredewolde, RSF asked for the journalist's location
and the reason for his detention to be made known. "If it turns out that
he is imprisoned because of his work as a journalist, we ask for his immediate
release," said RSF secretary-general Robert Menard. According to RSF, Adaweh
has been held in Harar for more than seven months, since he and other people
were reportedly arrested by Ethiopian police while on holiday. (Reporters
Sans Frontieres, January 11)

WFP launches appeal to feed drought victims: The United
Nations World Food Programme has approved a US $2.7 million emergency operation
to feed 100,000 people affected by an on-going drought in Djibouti, the
food agency has announced. According to WFP Country Representative Sanda
Maina, "drought symptoms are clearly evident in all areas of the country,
Little rain has left watering holes at dangerously low levels and livestock
has died either because there is a lack of pasture land or because it's
drastically deteriorating." The influx of nomadic families into the city
shows their growing desperation, he added. WFP's operation, which is expected
to run through the middle of June, will distribute over 6,000 metric tons
of food aid to needy people in the drought-affected areas. (WFP Press
Release, January 27)

SUDAN

Negotiators attempt to resolve Sudan's political crisis:
A committee comprising the chairman of Sudan's National Congress Party,
Abdel Rahim Ali, and a number of trade unionists is acting to resolve the
political crisis in Sudan along with a joint government-National Congress
committee which has also offered its good offices. The executive body of
the National Congress gave the government and good offices committees a
month starting December 20 to "patch up the rift" between President Omar
al-Beshir and NC Secretary General Hassan al-Turabi, a senior NC official
told the daily Al Rai al Aam newspaper. Yassin al-Haj Abdin, the
party's rapporteur told the paper that failing that the NC faction backing
Turabi "will become a political party independent of those in disagreement
with it and will expel the dissidents in a peaceful manner that averts
violence and clashes". The Khartoum government and a faction of the ruling
National Congress Party have pledged to find a solution to Sudan's political
crisis. Seven representatives from each side in the political stand-off
pitting Islamist Hassan al-Turabi against President Omar al-Beshir have
been meeting behind closed doors in order to find a solution to the crisis
that erupted after Beshir on December 12 imposed a three-month state of
emergency and dissolved the National Assembly. Higher Education Minister
Ibrahim Ahmed Omar heads the government team while North Kordofan governor
Ibrahim al-Sanousi heads the Turabi faction. No date has been set for the
negotiations to be completed. (AFP, December 21 & 22)

Oil pipeline on-stream again: Oil tankers at Sudan's Beshir
port on the Red Sea will be loaded on schedule despite an attack on the
oil pipeline that caused damage totalling some US $400,000, the SUNA news
agency reported. SUNA quoted Ministry of Energy and Mining Secretary General
Hassan Mohamed al-Tom as saying that repairs were under way and the crude
would resume flowing to Beshir Terminal for exportation on 18 January.
He said the crude lost in the attack would be replenished by raising the
pumping rate from oil fields in southwest Sudan. The Sudanese government
has blamed the Bejah Congress, a faction of the opposition National Democratic
Alliance (NDA), for the time-bomb attack on the pipeline that took place
on January 16 about 150 kilometres south-west of Port Sudan. (AFP, January
17)

Sudanese government resigns: Three weeks after President
al-Beshir declared a state of emergency and dissolved parliament 48 hours
before a debate and legislative vote on measures to curb presidential powers,
Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir has announced his acceptance of the resignations
of the central and state governments. The President said the resignations
were in line with resolutions adopted by the ruling National Congress Party's
consultative council which called for reorganisation of the country's federal
and state executive bodies. After accepting the resignations, the President
asked the former government officials to continue in office until a new
administration is set up. Sources say the changes were expected and were
intended to remove supporters of Beshir's former ally-turned-rival, Hassan
al-Turabi, who was ousted on December 12 amid a growing power struggle.
(AFP,
December 31)

Ruling body votes on administrative reform: The Consultative
Council of Sudan's National Congress Party, the highest body when the party's
general assembly is not meeting, has voted overwhelmingly in favour of
measures to reform the party's 60 member Leadership Authority which is
currently chaired by former speaker of the National Assembly, Hassan al-Turabi.
The Authority was created in September and gave Turabi, its chairman, wide-ranging
powers. The Authority's tasks include appointing ministers and other senior
government and party officials. The Secretary of the Consultative Council,
Ibrahim Abdel Hafiz told reporters that the 345 members voted for the measures
although it is not clear how many of the council's 525 members attended
the closed-door meeting. The measures include revising the party's rules
and restructuring other party organs and were recommended by a committee
that has been mediating between Beshir's and Turabi's camps. The committee
also recommended that the December 12 state of emergency be lifted as soon
as possible. Ibrahim Abdel Hafiz added that Turabi will keep his position
as the National Congresses Secretary General while Beshir will remain party
chairman. Beshir later told a conference of Sudan's Pensioners Union that
the Council's new resolutions "called for a unitary leadership, reinstated
the government's authority, and banned interference in the government policies,"
Beshir said the changes were a victory for his decision to disband parliament
and declare a state of emergency. (AFP, December 20 & 30)

Egypt and Sudan restore diplomatic relations: Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak and Sudan's President General Omar al-Beshir have
issued a joint statement announcing the restoration of full diplomatic
relations between the two countries and the return of the Egyptian ambassador
to Khartoum. The last Egyptian ambassador to Sudan was recalled in 1995
following an assassination attempt on Mubarak in Ethiopia that was blamed
on Sudan. Since then Egypt has only been represented by a charge d'affaires
in Sudan although Sudan kept an ambassador in Cairo. In the joint statement,
released on December 23, the two presidents also said they had reached
an agreement on the Red Sea border area of Halaib, which has been under
dispute since Sudan's independence in 1956. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
had travelled to Egypt for the first time in 6 years as part of a tour
of neighbouring states that included Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Eritrea and Uganda. (AP, December 22; AFP, December 23)

UN announces US $10 million humanitarian assistance for Nuba Mountains:
The
United Nations has announced a US $10 million humanitarian assistance programme
for the people of the Nuba Mountains in central Sudan's South Kordofan
State. The announcement of the programme was based on a month long tour
that ended October 15. The mission was comprised of representatives of
UN agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations who travelled to areas in
the Nuba Mountains held by the government and the rebel Sudan Peoples Liberation
Army. The report of the mission was transmitted to both sides in the conflict
and the programme for the area was for the first time included in the Inter-Agency
Consolidated Appeal for Sudan for the year 2000 to address the most essential
humanitarian needs as well as the medium-term recovery and rehabilitation
needs in government and SPLA-held areas. (AFP, November 12; IRIN News
Brief, December 20)

SOMALIA

Somali faction leaders open new port near Moqdishu: Two Somali
faction leaders have opened a new port close to the capital Moqdishu -
more than seven years after the city's main port was closed by civil war.
Jasira port, 12 kms south-west of Moqdishu, controlled by minor faction
leaders Muse Sudi Yalahow and Colonel Abdi Hassan Qaybdid, was inaugurated
January 6, witnesses said. Both men are members of the Habr Gedir clan
and have in the past been close to prominent warlord Hussein Mohamed Aideed,
although they now appear to be operating independently. Two vessels carrying
food docked at the new port, marking the start of operations. Large vessels
will be charged $6,000 for entry while smaller ones will pay $3,000, the
port's new authority said. The two warlords will take 50 percent of the
port's income for providing security to its users while the balance will
go to businessmen who financed it construction. Moqdishu's main warlords
Hussein Mohamed Aideed and Hussein Haji Bod opposed the opening of Jasira
saying it would jeopardise efforts to open the main port of Moqdishu.
(AFP, January 6; The Monitor, January 11, Press Digest, January 13)

Somali faction leaders agree to set up joint authority for Moqdishu:
Five
main Somali warlords have agreed to establish a joint authority to administer
the Moqdishu region as a first step towards forming a national government
for Somalia. Hussein Aideed, Hussein Haji Bod, Osman Hassan Ali "Atto',
Mohamed Qanyare Afrah and Ali Mahdi Mohamed signed the agreement late on
December 22 following three days of talks. Each of the five warlords, all
members of the Hawiye clan, controls part of the Somali capital. Aideed,
Atto and Qanyare each has a fiefdom in south Moqdishu, while Bod and Ali
Mahdi control parts of north Moqdishu. The agreement indicates that factions
will set up a regional authority for southern Somalia, after first making
institutions in Moqdishu operational. The new administration will run Moqdishu's
main port and the airport, the warlords said in a statement. If the joint
authority succeeds it is expected to pave the way for the resumption of
Somalia's stalled national reconciliation process. According to the agreement,
"after fulfilling the first part of the agreement, the leaders will proceed
to discuss the formation of a national government through reconciliation
with other factions in Somalia". The meeting also resolved to establish
a co-ordination committee for the administration of Moqdishu and its environs.
The mandate of the committee, consisting of 26 members, includes overseeing
the framework of the operations, monitoring and assessing the progress
of various committees that had been formed earlier, as well as updating
the various faction leaders on the progress made by various committees.
Previous agreements signed between warlords in Somalia failed mainly because
of lack of goodwill among the feuding faction leaders. (AFP, December
22; Aayamaha, quoted by BBC Monitoring Service, January 5)

Appeal for Somalia launched: The United Nations has appealed
for US $50 million in relief aid for Somalia, saying it would be used to
purchase seeds and settle farmers. According to the UNDP Resident Representative
and UN Resident Coordinator, Randolph Kent, half of the money would be
used to keep people on their lands so they can take advantage of the rains
and not become internally displaced and therefore increasingly vulnerable.
He emphasised that UN officials were negotiating with warlords and militias
to persuade them to allow WFP and non-governmental organisations such as
CARE and World Vision to deliver seeds to farmers. The UN Humanitarian
Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for the year 2000 was launched in Geneva
on November 23. The CAP 2000 for Somalia amounts to $50.5 million for humanitarian
assistance. Another $73.7 million was requested for other priority assistance
to respond to post conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation needs in
northeast and northwest Somalia. Randolph Kent told a news conference at
the launch of the appeal that "Somalia should be seen in a totally different
light than we have seen over the past 5 years". He added that the country
had one of the most sophisticated portable telephone networks in Africa.
Kent urged donors to "back away from the standard view of Somalia as one
great tragedy". (UN Somalia Monitor, November 17; AFP, December 7)

Islamic Court Administration faces resistance in Southern Somalia:
Warlords
in southern Somalia, who fear the Islamic courts will deprive them of political
power, are resisting the courts' authority. The courts have been appointing
local administrators, Islamic court officials and recruiting militia. The
courts finished recruiting 100 militiamen in Lower Shabelle regional capital
of Merca on December 11. Some of these militia were immediately dispatched
to Jamamme District in Lower Shebelle region where an Islamic Court appointed
District Commissioner was killed. The District Commissioner, Sheikh Abdurahman
Barre who was appointed to the post by the courts in October, was also
responsible for running Islamic courts in the area. He was killed as his
car approached a roadblock outside Jamame town. In another development,
28 prisoners of the Islamic Court in Merca have escaped from jail. Most
of the prisoners had been arrested for setting up illegal roadblocks and
extorting money from the public. (AFP, December 12)

Somaliland re-opens border with Djibouti: Somaliland has
re-opened its common border with Djibouti after blocking movements by road
for more than seven weeks. Somaliland closed its main land route to Djibouti
at the end of November following allegations by the interior ministry that
Djibouti was sending infiltrators and interfering in the domestic affairs
of Somaliland. The Djiboutian "infiltrators" were apparently seeking to
convince influential elders in Somaliland of the need to reverse the Somaliland
position on secession from Somalia. The border was closed at Lowyada, the
principal crossing point between Somaliland and Djibouti for the importation
of consumer goods. Flights between the Somaliland and Djibouti were not
affected. The border was re-opened on January 19 following a directive
issued by President Muhammad Ibrahim Egal. (AFP, December 5; Radio Hargeisa,
quoted by BBC Monitoring Service, January 19)

KENYA

Garissa town's clan wars curfew lifted: The Provincial Commissioner
of Kenya's North East Province, Maurice Makhanu, who had imposed a partial
curfew on the province's capital Garissa district, announced the lifting
of the curfew for the Ramadahan fast. He also said that the curfew, from
11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. had been an effective response to escalating gun
battles between the Abduwak and Aulihann clans which began in June and
claimed a total of 48 lives. The two clans have been quarrelling over grazing
and water, while an element of political differences which dates back to
the last decade has also been evident. Makhanu said that the government
had given the warring clans sufficient time to make peace, but the failure
of political leaders and elders to intercede had given the government "no
option but to take full responsibility for security". He added that the
government had been forced to deploy the crack General Service Unit of
the army in the violence-torn areas because the peace initiatives by elders
do not yield results. He also reiterated that the Kenyan border with Somalia
would remain closed while patrols would be stepped up along the frontier
with Ethiopia. (PANA, December 20; Press Digest, December 23)

IMF team expected for negotiations on resumption of aid:
Kenya's Finance Minister Chrysanthus Okemo has announced that an International
Monetary Fund delegation was expected in the country on January 24 to begin
talks aimed at concluding a successor programme to aid the resumption of
the Fund's assistance to Kenya. The IMF suspended its US $205 million Enhanced
Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) meant for budgetary support in July,
1997 citing poor governance and widespread corruption as the reasons. Meanwhile,
a cross section of opposition leaders has called for non-resumption of
IMF aid to Kenya. Accusations have also been made against the head of Kenya's
Public Service Commission, Dr. Richard Leaky and the Britain's High Commissioner
to Kenya Sir Jeffery James, that they misled the IMF and World Bank over
the resumption of aid to Kenya and cajoling donors to resume aid with a
view to securing the interests of locally-based British multinationals
and British Asians residents in Kenya. Sir Jeffrey was further accused
of giving the impression that the country would break up unless aid resumes.
The envoy has dismissed accusations from eight opposition MPs and some
civil society leaders that he had misled his government and the donor community
over aid resumption negotiations. He said his advice on resumption of negotiations
was based on Kenya's improved record on good governance and serious commitment
to tackling of corruption. The Kenyan Minister for Foreign Affairs and
International Co-operation Dr. Bonaya Godana has defended the British High
Commissioner and told the opposition groups that the attack on the diplomat
was uncalled for since his job was to promote friendly relations between
his government and Kenya. (PANA, December 18; East African Standard,
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, quoted by BBC Monitoring, 5 January)

Drought causes pastoralists to migrate:An acute shortage
of food in Kenya's Turkana district is causing thousands of Turkana herdsmen
to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, news reports claim. Two hundred
and fifty thousand people in Turkana District are faced with starvation
following the absence of rainfall during the critical short rains of September-October
and media reports from the drought-stricken district indicate that at least
30 people have died so far. According to the Turkana District Drought Monitoring
Bulletin Report for October, the complete failure of these short rains
has constrained availability of water for both livestock and domestic use
and increased the "trekking distance to watering points even within traditionally
dry season grazing areas". The Minister of State in the Office of the President,
Shariff Nassir, who confirmed that the food situation in Turkana District
was critical, appealed to members of the Turkana community not to flee
to neighbouring countries, saying the government will be seeking long-term
solutions to the food problems in the district. (All Africa News Agency,
December 13; KTN Television, quoted by BBC Monitoring Service, November
19)

UGANDA

Coffee exports record over 80 percent increase in Uganda:Uganda's
coffee exports have increased by over 80 percent, earning the country over
US $24.8 million, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said in
a monthly report released early December. The report attributed the increase
in both volume and earnings to good weather and improved international
markets. It said that coffee exports in November stood at 411,903 bags
of 60 kilogrammes each, which earned up to US $24.8 million, compared to
225,025 bags valued at US $13.5 million recorded in October -- an increase
of about 83 percent both in volume and value. The November exports again
saw an improvement of about 70 percent in volume and 20.5 percent in earnings
compared to the same period during the last coffee year, which ended last
September, the UCDA report said. Up to 2.5 million people in Uganda are
employed by the coffee sector. Meanwhile, Uganda's inflation rate has remained
in double figures for the third month running, according to figures released
in December by the finance ministry. A statement from the ministry said
the annual headline inflation for November 1999 rose to 10.6 percent, up
from the 10 percent recorded in October, and up from 5.1 percent in May.
Some analysts blamed the sharp increase on bad economic management by the
government, while economists at the finance and economic planning ministry
pointed the finger at regular hikes in the price of food -- a major component
of the country's consumer basket. (AFP, December 4)

Ugandan parliament approves long-awaited amnesty bill: The
Ugandan parliament has passed long-awaited legislation under which amnesty
will be granted to rebels operating in the country. The legislation, which
was moved by Internal Affairs Minister Edward Rugumayo, will be in force
for six months, with a provision for extension. Amnesty has long been called
for by people living in war-affected regions of Uganda, particularly in
the north where the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels of spirit medium
Joseph Kony have been waging war against the government of President Yoweri
Museveni since 1988. Rugumayo described the bill as "exciting, because
for the first time the government has come out clearly and unequivocally
to say that the amnesty will be granted to all those who have been waging
war against the country."
(AFP, December 7)

Increase in rebel activity in western Uganda: In early
December twelve people were killed and five were wounded as rebels in western
Uganda led simultaneous dawn raids on five military units. The Allied Democratic
Forces rebels struck small barracks at Butama, Kabango, Ndugutu, Ngite
and Kanyamirima, Bundibugyo's resident district commissioner Edward Masiga
told AFP. Kanyamirima and Kalindi are both within six kilometers of the
district capital Bundibugyo, which lies at the base of the Ruwenzori Mountains
less than 30 kilometers from the border with the Democratic Republic of
Congo. More than 100,000 people in the area are internally displaced, living
in camps in trading centres and along the roads. As tensions increased
in the area, the ADF warned humanitarian agencies in Bundibugyo district
that their relief convoys would be attacked by its rebels. In a letter
faxed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the ADF accused the two groups
of ferrying military supplies to the Ugandan army in the region. The UNHCR
does not, however, operate in Bundibugyo because the people affected are
internally displaced and not refugees. The threat resulted in a four week
suspension of UN relief operations in the district. At the end December,
the Ugandan army said it had killed 86 members of the ADF in the west of
the country during the month. State Minister for Defence Steven Kavuma
said that during the recent battles, the army also captured from the rebels
64 AK-47 assault rifles, an assortment of ammunition and other war equipment,
as well as drugs. He noted that some of the weaponry captured seemed to
have been newly acquired and that the government would investigate its
source. (AFP, December 10 & 18, January 26)

Sudan, Uganda sign pledge to stop backing rebels: Uganda
and Sudan moved closer to normalising their relations when they pledged
to undertake to stop supporting each other's rebel groups in an agreement
signed on December 8. In the accord reached during talks in Nairobi, Ugandan
President Yoweri Museveni and Sudanese President Omar el-Beshir agreed
to take steps to re-establish diplomatic relations and to promote peace
in the region. Points of the agreement included pledges "to renounce use
of force to resolve their differences, to stop support for each other's
rebel groups, to disband and disarm the terrorist groups and to respect
each country's territorial integrity." The Carter Center, which oversaw
the talks, issued a statement saying: "This agreement complements the Inter-Governmental
Authority on Development (IGAD) peace process in Sudan, chaired by Kenyan
President Daniel arap Moi." The 11-point agreement also includes clauses
on the return of prisoners of war (POWs), locating and returning abductees
to their families and an amnesty for returnees who renounce use of force.
The accord called for the formation of a joint ministerial committee and
technical teams to establish a timetable of specific steps for implementation.
"If all other terms of this agreement are honoured satisfactorily, we desire
to re-establish normal relations between our two countries within a month,"
the two presidents said in the agreement. "Within a month of this date,
we will open offices in both capital cities and assign junior diplomatic
personnel for service, and by end of February 2000, ambassadors will be
exchanged and full diplomatic relations restored," the agreement added.
The return in January by Sudan of a number of individuals abducted by Ugandan
rebels operating from southeastern Sudan was one of the first initiatives
taken following the signing of the new agreement. By January 23, some 10
adults and 43 children had been handed over to UNICEF. The United Nations
estimates that 10,000 Ugandans have been kidnapped in the past five years,
but many are believed to have died in battle or from disease. Thousands
more have escaped. Ugandan authorities believe that up to 2,000 abducted
people are still in rebel hands. In a reciprocal arrangement, the Ugandan
authorities handed back 72 Sudanese prisoners of war captured by Ugandan
soldiers inside Sudan while on a pursuit operation against LRA bases in
April 1997. (AFP, December 8 & January 23)

Senior US official consults Uganda on AIDS: A senior US
official arrived in Kampala January 9 to start a three-day visit to Uganda
for consultations with AIDS researchers, support groups and officials on
efforts to reduce the scourge. The visit of Sandra Thurman, who is National
AIDS policy director at the White House, will be part of a four-nation,
two-week tour which will also take her to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. Up
to 1.5 million Ugandans are believed to be carrying the HIV virus that
causes AIDS, while more than 100,000 other cases of the disease are full-blown.
Uganda, whose AIDS orphans have reached 1.7 million, launched a new multi-sectoral
approach last year aimed at renewing commitment to fighting the deadly
pandemic. Uganda is one of the few countries in the world which have been
successful in drastically reducing AIDS rate and new infections. An awareness
programme, launched 13 years ago, made significant gains, reducing prevalence
rates by 50 percent in the past seven years. (AFP, January 8)

THE HORN OF AFRICA

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do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the United Nations
concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of
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SOURCES:

Information in this update has been obtained from official and
private media reports, U.N. agencies and NGO sources. No claims are made
by the UNDP-EUE as to the accuracy of these reports.